The Atlanta Falcons still aren't taking chances with wide receiver Julio Jones as he returns from an injury that caused him to miss 11 games last season. Jones is practicing every other day at the Falcons' training camp, and he's wearing custom-made shoes on the field to help protect the right foot that he's broken twice.

"What they're doing right now with me is on and off -- practice one day, off another," Jones told reporters after Atlanta's practice on Thursday, "but still progressing it, keep going and going. The biggest key is they want me ready for New Orleans.

"I feel great. But you know we don't want to rush anything because I'm just practicing. It doesn't prove anything if I go out here and run 40, 50 routes in practice and something happens. ... We're taking every little procedure to get there so I'm healthy and I don't have any doubts about my ability to go out there and make plays."

The Falcons open the regular season on Sept. 7, when they host the New Orleans Saints. They start their four-game preseason schedule on Aug. 8, when they host the Miami Dolphins. Jones said he "anticipated" playing in the preseason, but the former Foley High School and Alabama Crimson Tide standout doesn't know if he will.

"It's their call," Jones said. "I'm just preparing like I'm going to play."

Jones broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot twice in 32 months. The fifth metatarsal is the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe. The second fracture happened in the fifth game of the 2013 NFL season. Jones had his second operation to insert a screw into the broken bone in October.

Jones is wearing specially designed shoes at training camp.

"Under Armour built me a cleat from the ground up," Jones said. "It's working good for me They made it wider. A steel shank in the bottom of it as well. It's real good. They made a great cleat for me."

"I just took off from the line of scrimmage," Jones said. "No moves at all. Just wanted to opened it up and see what I have. I felt great. I didn't feel no tightness or anything. I feel like I can still run. I could have ran faster, but I did what I needed to do, and I made a play."

While the single play might have been a milestone in Jones' comeback, he doesn't want to get off course from his steady comeback pace.

"I feel great," Jones said. "But the key is keeping me this way, not running me to death at practice, because it is practice. We've got to take those small steps to get me where they want me at as far as being able to go out there and play a whole game and don't have any doubts about my ability."

Jones earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2012 and led the NFL in receptions when he was hurt last year. Returning to form depends on one thing, Jones said.

"I've just got to stay healthy," he said. "Everything else will take care of itself.